There is no other guy in team sports quite like him. Sure, there are some guys who carry heavy responsibility and others who have to deal with pressure. Yes, there are also certain guys who mean much more to their teams than their teammates do. But there is no other guy on any playing surface, from grass to dirt to hardwood to ice, who carries the weight of an entire team on his shoulders like the quarterback does. No starting pitcher. No cleanup hitter. No playmaking point guard or small forward. And no brick-wall goalie, either. Each one of them can play at a high level of excellence without an ounce of support from their teammates because their positions allow them to perform based on their individual ability regardless of the talent around them. None of them is forced to deliver so much on an individual level while relying so heavily on so many teammates at the same time as the quarterback. The position can be glamorous, and it can be demoralizing. Far too often, it can be downright unfair. Such was the season opener for Brandon Weeden. Before going on, let's get this out of the way now: Brandon Weeden is not a great NFL quarterback. There's a good chance he may never be a great quarterback. There's a chance he won't even be a good one. However, to judge him and his progress as a second-year starter for the Browns after that disastrous first game against the Dolphins is borderline criminal. Weeden's statistics in that Miami game were atrocious, to be certain. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw three interceptions to just one touchdown. But I'm here to tell you that Andrew Luck wouldn't have fared any better. That's not to pick on Luck, of course, who is one of the best young stars in the league. But the truth is that virtually every quarterback in the league would have struggled in the circumstances under which Weeden began his second season. What circumstances, you ask? Let's take a look: Weeden's offensive line, which was supposed to be one of the team's greatest strengths coming into the season, was horrible - particularly on the right side. Second-year tackle Mitchell Schwartz was on his heels all day, allowing two sacks, six quarterback hits and constant pressure on Weeden by All-Pro Cameron Wake. Right guard Oniel Cousins was flagged for four penalties, including one holding call in the fourth quarter that wiped out a perfect scoring strike from Weeden, after escaping pressure, of course, to Gary Barnidge that would have cut the Dolphins' lead to six points. It also would have altered Weeden's stat line and quarterback rating considerably. Overall, the Browns' line, along with an overmatched and undersized Chris Ogbonnaya trying to pass protect at fullback, allowed six sacks and 17 quarterback hits. Let's continue:? When Weeden wasn't running for his life behind the human sieve up front, he was throwing to what may be the worst collection of wide receivers in the AFC. Greg Little has worked very hard to improve. But there is no conceivable way on this planet or any other that he can be a No. 1 receiver for an NFL team, which was the role he was forced into on Sunday with Josh Gordon on the suspended list. Dropped passes, poor routes and the general inability to get separation from Miami defensive backs characterized Little's day, which had a direct impact on Weeden's day. Travis Benjamin is a fast guy, and a dangerous kick returner. As a receiver, however, he is far too small to be effective, unless some gadget play allows him to sprint by the defense for a bomb, unchallenged by a defensive back. If he has to catch in traffic, or fight for a ball, he offers next-to-nothing for his quarterback. Oh, and he dropped perfectly thrown passes that would have kept drives alive for Weeden, too. The only legitimate target for the Browns' quarterback on Sunday was tight end Jordan Cameron, who was finally able to showcase his supreme athleticism. He ran good routes, showed great hands and caught nine of Weeden's passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. And, no, it's not a coincidence that when Weeden had time to throw, and when he had a capable target on the other end, the results were very, very good. That's why Gordon's absence was so crucial. He's another big target, a legitimate deep threat who can get the separation needed in the vertical passing attack that Weeden favors. Gordon also can fight for footballs when coverage is tight. Finally: The Browns' best playmaker on offense, Trent Richardson, was relegated to little more than decoy duty, despite the Browns trailing by just three points for most of the second half. Richardson carried just 13 times in the game, which eliminated the play-action element of Weeden's passing game. Bottom line is that Weeden did not have a good day, but to beat him up and declare him the same flawed, flustered quarterback he was as a rookie is unfair and plain wrong. No individual star at any position in any sport is as dependent upon his teammates as the quarterback. And this particular quarterback was let down by his teammates in a big way on Sunday.

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Reach the author at frantz.media@yahoo.com. Follow Bob on Twitter: @BobFrantz80.